Chapter Two: Palisade
Skormorak
I fell out of the warp pipe and landed with a thud on the ground. I quickly leapt to my feet and observed my surroundings. I was on a lush, grassy plain that was illuminated by the crescent moon overhead.
"It appears that I'm in Grass Land! Perfect!"
Grass Land was where the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad Town, was located. This was the best I could have hoped for. Quickly leaping to my feet, I set off into a mad dash across the plains. I had to put as much distance as I could between me and the patrol that would inevitably find me.
But one thing was for certain: I was free! I had accomplished the impossible by sneaking past the tightened security in the Keep, and I’d managed to run past ten guards to make my escape! The feeling of anxiety was mixed with a sense of pride as I continued to sprint. Looking over my shoulder, I could barely make out the dim light of torches. I was not too concerned about those; my primary concern was that the Lakitu would see me and alert the squad.
So I kept on rolling, ignoring the searing pain that was developing in my legs as I was running at the fastest speeds I had ever run in my entire life. Right now I was a fugitive, hunted by the Koopa Clan, and there was no doubt that Bowser had issued a bounty on my head by now.
Just over the next hill, I could make out the bright lights of a town. There, I could seek sanctuary until the morning, when I would ask for directions to Toad Town.
The Koopa squad behind me was getting ever closer. If they wanted it that way, fine...
"The chase is on..."
Mario
Luigi and I were watching a show on TV when we heard a pounding at the door.
"Good lord, who could be calling at this time of night?" I mumbled as I struggled to get off the couch. "Luigi, go answer it."
"Sure thing, Bro," said Luigi as he set a small bowl of pasta on the table before slowly getting to his feet. He stretched his arms back and went over and opened the door. Standing at the door was an elderly Toad with a thick set mustache.
"Toadsworth!" said Luigi as he shook the old Mushroomer's hand. "It's been a while! What brings you here at this time of night?"
"Only the most important of news, Master Luigi. May I come in?"
"Sure, sure, head on in."
The old Toad toddled into the living room and took a seat in a worn armchair in the corner. With a resounding noise, he cleared his throat before speaking. "Masters Mario and Luigi, there is a situation developing that could pose a serious threat to the Mushroom Kingdom's national security."
"A situation?" I asked as I sat back down. "What kind of situation?"
"Well," began Toadsworth, "ever since Bowser stole the Star Rod, we've kept spies posted in and around Dark Land, and today one of those spies sent us a letter. It appears that earlier today, the Koopa Clan was mobilizing their army and readying their doomtanks and doomships. The spies reported that their infantry used known warp pipes that lead to Grass Land, while their air force and tanks were heading out of the Valley of Bowser."
"So they're planning on attacking us?" asked Luigi. We had not had to deal with anything of this scale since the conquest of the Mushroom Kingdom three years ago, when Bowser's children first made their way onto the scene by conquering the regions of the Mushroom Kingdom to buy time for Bowser to ready his armies. Luckily we had restored the lands to Mushroom Kingdom control and driven the Koopalings out before Bowser could arrive.
"Yes, and they are traveling at an alarming rate! The scale of this assault is positively alarming; it's as if the whole Koopa Clan plans to attack us!"
"But Toadsworth," said Luigi with a slightly panicky look on his face, "the Mushroom Kingdom is surely equipped to handle Bowser, right? We've got most of the Royal Army here in town! Not to mention all of the defenses around Toad Town and Princess Toadstool's castle!"
"Even still, Master Luigi, there's more to this plot, and apparently Princess Toadstool suspects foul play. The details are top secret, and Princess Toadstool requires your presence at her castle before we can disclose them."
We got off of the couch and followed Toadsworth out the door and into the warp pipe to Toad Town, ready for what Princess Toadstool had for us. Together we all walked through the empty streets of Toad Town and took a left at the town square, going through the gates that would take us to Princess Toadstool's castle. We went through the beautiful garden and through the doors to the castle. While our trio walked, I began to question why the Koopa Clan was attacking now. After we beat Smithy two years ago, we had signed a peace treaty with them!
"Luigi, why do you think they would violate the peace treaty? Princess Toadstool was even planning to open up more routes to Dark Land and we were just starting to trade with the Koopa Clan!"
"It's a mystery to me as well, Mario. And it's also weird how Bowser thinks he can beat us when the Royal Army outnumbers his forces ten to one!"
As we followed Toadsworth up the stairs that would take us to Toadstool, he began to give us his perspective on the matter. "We all know Bowser's habits. He never has attacked us unless he had a trump card on his side. Nine years ago when you first arrived, he didn't know about your arrival, so he continued to fight. But after that, five years later he gained the Star Rod and displayed more boldness. Then six years later, his children were old enough to fight you and he had new technologies, such as those doomships and doomtanks. I wonder what he has now..."
Toadsworth stopped at a blue steel door that was emblazoned with a gold star. "Ah, I believe we are here. Masters Mario and Luigi, I wish you both well."
As he walked off down the stairs, we opened the door and stepped into the meeting room. Princess Toadstool was already seated at the head of a heavy oak table that was scattered with many documents, papers, and pictures.
"Mario, Luigi, you're here! It's so nice to see you!"
"Great to see you too, Princess," I said with a chuckle as Luigi and I took seats to her left and right. "Now what's this 'foul play' Toadsworth was telling us about?"
Princess Toadstool pointed at a small picture of a strange, triangular object that was shooting a strange, blue beam at a burning town on the ground below, while several Koopas and Goombas marched on through the desolate cityscape. Judging from the area, I guessed that it wasn't far out of Dark Land.
"This picture was taken by one of our spies earlier tonight in the town of Wendell. Can you guess what that strange thing in the sky is?"
Luigi picked up the picture and stared intently at it for several seconds. "It looks like it might be one of the family doomships flying at high altitude..."
Princess Peach took the picture and set it down in its original place on the table. "That's what I thought at first, Luigi. But do you see how much detail on it the picture shows? That's definitely not wood."
"You're right!" I said as I seized the picture. "It looks like some sort of gemstone... See the facets and how they're shining?"
"Whatever it is, do you see how easily it destroyed Wendell? Wendell was one of our most heavily fortified cities, and then this strange thing comes along and destroys it in almost no time. Father once told me that Wendell was originally built as a front-line defense against Koopa invasion, and that it was built better than Toad Town's walls and this castle were!"
"So the Koopas are mobilizing..." started Luigi.
"And they're packing heat," I finished for him. "Princess, do you have any ideas on how we can shoot this thing down if it's with the Koopas when they arrive?"
"I don't know, Mario... We were only exposed to the doomships three years ago, and even three years later, we haven't built any of our own or anything to defend against them. And this thing looks way smaller than a doomship if the picture's right."
"Peach," said Luigi, "if they're mobilizing their whole army like we know they are, they're bound to bring in the doomships and doomtanks, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"We could steal one of the Koopa Kids’ doomships and shoot it down with the cannons onboard!"
"You're right, Luigi! That's a perfect plan! I'm glad you thought of it!"
I then took several of the intelligence reports and began reading it. "It is a good plan, but what we need to do is figure out how we can defend Grass Land and the cities against the main armies. Even if we shoot down that triangle thingy, the Koopas will be bound to keep fighting."
"Good point, Mario," said Toadstool. "We should all get busy."
We all took various papers and sat down
to formulate a plan for the defense of the homeland.
Skormorak
"At last..." I panted as I leaned against a thick stone wall. "At last..."
I had finally reached the front gate of what was not just another random town, but Toad Town! All I would have to do from here is find Princess Toadstool and warn her of the plot, and we could evacuate Toad Town whilst we devised a solution!
Gasping for breath with my lungs and calves feeling as if they were on fire, I walked over to the front gates. Except there was one small problem...
"Darn it, the gate's locked!"
I started looking around for another way to get in, but there wasn't any and I wasn't going to walk all the way around to the other entrance. I was going to have to climb, so I latched myself onto the stone wall and began to scale it.
"Hey, you! Get down from there!"
I looked down to see a Toad soldier with a spear.
"Sorry about that," I said as I jumped down. "It's just that the gate was locked and I didn't think anyone was here s-"
"Wait a minute," said the Toad as he stared at me down from head to toe with a furious glare in his eyes. "You're with the Koopa Clan, aren't you!?"
"No, I'm not anymore! I've defected and I've got very important information for your princess! You've got to let me in!"
"I'm not letting you anywhere near Toad Town!" shouted the Toad defiantly. "I'd know that symbol anywhere, especially since it was you guys who murdered my father three years ago!"
Symbol?
I looked down at my armor and saw that the Koopa Clan symbol was practically sparkling in the moonlight. Darn it all, I should have taken off the chestpiece too!
"It's not what you think it is! Listen, if you don't let me in, you're all going to die! This is too important!"
"All the more reason for me to take you into custody!" he shouted as he brandished his spear at me, the point poking me in the ribs. "You're coming with me, and you'll get to see the princess! Let's see what she makes of you!"
The soldier took my hammer from my belt and as I turned around, he bound my hands together with a thick coil of rope, then told me to walk. As we passed the lifeless houses and shops, I realized that because of my stupidity, I had escaped one situation only to find myself forced into another one. From the town square, we turned to the left and went up the road that led to Princess Toadstool's castle.
"Listen, you've got to belie-"
"Quiet! Keep walking!" shouted the Toad as he gave me a particularly angry jab in the back. "What do you want from us, you filthy turtle? We just want to live in peace and here you come in the dead of night with intent to murder!"
"Murder?! I just came to warn your princess!"
"Liar! You said it yourself, If you don't let me in, you're all going to die!
"You misinterpreted me! Bowser's planning something and if I can't warn her, the world is doomed!" I protested, struggling against the ropes that bound my hands together. Normally my strength alone might have been enough to snap the ropes, but after a long night of running, I was helpless. I walked into the castle and up several stairs until we stopped at a steel door emblazoned with a gold star.
The Toad, with his steel spear still pointing at me, knocked on the door. A voice from behind shouted "Come on in!", which is exactly what we did. Sitting at a table strewn with documents were Princess Toadstool, Mario, and Luigi.
"Princess Toadstool!" said the Toad. "I found this Koopa attempting to get in the city, and he claims he has something to tell you about Bowser!"
"Ah, Colonel Skormorak, how do you do?" asked Princess Peach, in an inviting and warm voice. "How do you do?"
"Err... You know me?"
"Yeah, Mario and Luigi told me about how you gave them quite a fight three years ago!"
As Mario glared at me with his arms folded and Luigi just stared at me, I remember the fight we had three years ago in the Valley of Bowser. I was one of the soldiers who remained for the final defense of Dark Land, and I was in charge of guarding one of the forts, when the Marios broke down the gate. Most of my squad died, but I put up a fight against them. I was doing really well, even going as far as to break Mario's arm, until Luigi tripped me. I was knocked unconscious and the Marios went onwards.
"Err, why aren't you glaring at me and torturing me for information or something?" I asked, my eyes never leaving the two wary Brothers on her sides.
"Oh, we are going to interrogate you, but I find that prisoners are more likely to divulge information if they're calmer and happier! So are you going to tell us what you know?"
"Fine, but I was going to tell you anyway... Err, can you get that spear off of me so I can sit down?"
Princess Toadstool gave a fiery look at the Toad, who lowered his spear. "But, my Queen, you'll be left in here with a Koopa of all peo-"
"I have the Mario Brothers here, John. I'll be just fine, get back to your post. Thank you for bringing him to me."
As the Toad, John, left the room and
I took my seat awkwardly with my arms still bound behind my back, Princess
Toadstool returned her attention to me. "Now, let's get back to business.
Skorm, what drove you to come to Toad Town after everyone remembers the
atrocities you committed in the war?"
Luigi
I wasn't sure what the princess was up to! Letting this Koopa in here, without that Toad to keep him in line! What was she thinking? Nevertheless, I swore to keep an eye on Colonel Skormorak, because I remembered hearing about his terrible war crimes after we beat Bowser.
"Well," said Skormorak, "it wasn't a matter of wanting to come here so much as a need to. Bowser has a new weapon called the Shard of Order, and when he starts using it, the world is doomed!"
"Shard of Order?" mouthed Princess Peach. "Skormorak. does the Shard of Order look anything like this? Mario, go pass him the picture, please."
Mario took the picture over to the opposite end of the table. Skormorak eyed the intel photo for several seconds until his eyes fell on the triangular object we saw in it earlier. "That's the Shard! But... oh my god, he's already made it to the Dark Land border?! That does it, we have less time than I thought!"
"What are you freaking out about?" I asked him. Despite the fact that he had killed, tortured, and burned his way across the Mushroom Kingdom in the war, I could sense concern in his voice... had he changed? Hmm...
"The Shard of Order... it's a mobile, flying weapon with limitless capabilities. Kamek, Bowser's advisor Magikoopa, told us at the briefing that with its infinite energy, it can kill, create, fly, and do practically anything with energy... But that's not all... It's indestructible."
"Indestructible?!" I shouted. "You mean to tell me that Bowser's got his hands on a weapon of mass destruction, and of all things, it's indestructible?!"
"Yeah," said Skormorak with a look of despair in his voice. "It was made fifty thousand years ago, back when blacksmiths and gemcutters used magic to make their crafts invincible. And that's not all... He's planning on using it to conquer the whole Mushroom Kingdom, starting with Grass Land."
Princess Toadstool scrutinized the situation for a minute before resuming. "Skormorak, how would he be able to control it? Bowser's not even in the photo, so he'd have to be farther away, wouldn't he?"
"It has a cockpit, and when he's inside, all he's got to do is imagine what he wants the Shard to do or where he wants it to fly to," said Skormorak gravely. "Princess, I know I was horrible in the past, and I deeply regret it now. With this new threat, I realize that he won't stop until he controls the world... He's bound to test the Shard's limits, and when he does, we're doomed..."
Skormorak had his head in his palms. "Plit is a time bomb now, Princess Toadstool. It's a matter of time before Bowser finds a way to play god with this Shard, and when he does, we are all going to die..."
"No, Skorm, it's not too late!" said Mario. "We beat him once before when he had the Star Rod! Isn't that right, Luigi?"
"Yeah..." I said in a tremulous voice. "We did."
"I used the Star Beam to dispel his invincibility, remember? It's the power of the Star Spirits condensed into a ray! With it, surely we can shut down the invincibility long enough to destroy the Shard of Order!"
Princess Peach stood up. "I'm going to get our criers to spread the word around Toad Town and send letters to the governors of all the Grass Land towns... We're going to evacuate all the cities, starting with Toad Town!"
Both my brother and I looked positively alarmed. "But, Princess," said Mario, "where are you going to send that many people to if all the towns will be evacuated?!"
"Exactly where King Bowser will never look," she said with a mischievous look in her eye. "Remember how Bowser built that fortress here in Grass Land?"
I remembered all of a sudden. It was when Mario and I first came to the Mushroom Kingdom and we found the land in peril that we cleared out the fortress and rescued all of the prisoners there. "I see! He wouldn't dare blow up one of his own fortresses in case he wanted to use it again! We could station a regiment there to guard the people..."
"Yep," said Princess Toadstool. "Skormorak, rest your consciousness now. You've redeemed yourself by giving me the vital information that could save this kingdom. It's obvious that you've changed."
Skormorak looked up with an astonished look in his eye. "Can I help the cause in any way? I... oh, can someone get these ropes off my arms?"
Mario came over to me. "How do I know you won't attack us? We know you're a sly one."
"Just do it," said Princess Toadstool. "That's an order."
Grumbling, Mario untied Skormorak whilst uttering questions under his breath. Skormorak stretched his arms and walked over to the princess, falling into a bow.
"I pledge my loyalty and services to you, Princess. Rest assured, I will do all I can to stop Bowser."
"Excellent!" said Toadstool. "I know how you can help. We're going to send out a regiment of soldiers to meet the enemy infantry head on. I want you, Mario, and Luigi to be in it."
"Princess Toadstool," I said, "we're excellent fighters but neither Mario nor I have had any experience as professional soldiers!"
"Yeah," said Mario, "we don't know formations, military tactics, or any of that stuff the Royal Army does!"
"Just do what the commanding officer
tells you and you'll be fine," said Princess Toadstool with a smile. "I
had to learn a lot of that stuff, too, and it's not really all that bad!"
Skormorak
I felt a mixture of pride and relief... man, did the princess know how to make your day. Not only had I succeeded at my sworn task, but I also felt relief and hope at Princess Toadstool's words... I kept repeating them in my head just because of how happy they made me...
"You've redeemed yourself by giving me the vital information that could save this kingdom. It's obvious that you've changed."
"At last," I said to myself, "I understand the true meaning of honor... It's about... believing in yourself and... dedicating yourself to the purpose that you believe in."
Just then a knock resounded from the blue doors behind us. I went over and opened the door, where a young Toad girl was standing carrying a tea tray with a pitcher of amber liquid, five cups, a bowl of sugar, and a plate of biscuits. "Is Mrs. Peach in here?" she said in a high-pitched voice. "I got you some food from the kitchens!"
I took the tray from the small girl and set it in the center of the table before returning to her. I knelt down in front of her. "She's in a big meeting with grown-ups, so I had to get it. Run along, little girl, you did a good job."
Her face beamed as she started to skip out the door, until...
"Sweet," said Princess to the young girl, "would you be kind enough to show the nice Koopa to the dormitory?"
"Yes, Pwincess!" she said with a curtsy before turning around. "Come with me, Mr. Koopa!"
I followed her out of the meeting room, down the long set of stairs, and into a long room that was filled with beds and bedside tables as far as I could see.
"Here you go, Mr. Koopa! I'll go get you some nice new clothes ‘cause that armor looks kinda dirty!"
"Why, thank you," I said as I pulled off the Koopa Clan chestpiece. I held it aloof in my arms, staring intently at the symbol, before throwing it into a nearby trash can.
"A piece of the past is behind me," I yawned, stretching my arms. "And now I can go to bed."
I indeed crawled into the bed and pulled the sheets over my head, my mind slowly drifting off into dreamland.